PDF to PostScript conversion of graphic image files

ABSTRACT

An on-line automated printing system quickly produces consistent printed materials. The system includes front-end customer setup and product setup modules available on a web server. A Print Ready File is produced embodying the product to be printed. The Print Ready File is compiled and all operations on the file can be completed via reference to the information contained therein. A state flag is associated with each element of the file, the flag having states such as preview, print, both, or none. The file is stored on an asset management file server. The file (unchanged) may be previewed or printed using internal flags and logic built-in to the PostScript language. A batcher service batches print jobs. A plater service accepts the Print Ready Files and outputs a plate file to a print vendor&#39;s ordering system. Over the Internet the plate file is sent to a vendor computer. The plate file is sent to a raster image processor (RIP) which outputs a bitmap to be printed. Included within the system is a PDF to PostScript conversion subsystem. A client application requests conversion of a file to PostScript and pulls conversion parameters from an image logic information database. The client sends the parameters along with input and output files to a master service. The master service selects a lower-level service for conversion. A PDF to PostScript conversion module (with hardcoded parameters) uses the PDF library to perform conversion of the file and outputs the result.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application No.09/480,333, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,362,895, filed Jan. 10, 2000, entitled“PDF TO POSTSCRIPT CONVERSION OF GRAPHIC IMAGE FILES,” which is herebyincorporated by reference.

[0002] This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. Nos.09/480,334; 09/480,821; 09/481,550; 09/480,332; 09/480,869; 09/480,881;09/481,372; 09/480,335; 09/480,645; 09/480,185; 09/480,987; 09/480,980;09/481,007; 09/480,820, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,353,483; 09/481,010; and09/480,866, all filed on Jan. 10, 2000, which are hereby incorporated byreference. This application is also related to U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 09/460,307 filed on Dec. 13, 1999, entitled “System and FileStructure for Consistent Visual Medium Materials.”

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The present invention relates generally to a computer system forquickly and consistently producing printed materials. More specifically,the present invention relates to an automated technique for converting aPDF file to a PostScript file.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The existing methods of procuring printed business materials arecharacterized by cumbersome and labor-intensive procedures. Theseprocedures carry with them certain inefficiencies and are often prone toerror. For the majority of small to medium sized printers, the printingof business cards and stationery entails a time-consuming series ofsteps which generally must be repeated every time a new order is placed.

[0005] Referring to FIG. 1, a representative block diagram 100 is shownof certain steps that might be used to procure an order by a customer.While the order might consist of any textual or graphical material, abusiness card example is used throughout to facilitate discussion. Ingeneral, an administrator in an organization first collects data fromthe employee who desires the business cards. Such data includes name,title, telephone and facsimile numbers, mobile telephone number, e-mailaddress, etc. This data then gets sent via telephone or facsimile to theprinter as shown in step 102. The printer typesets the information instep 104, and then sends back a proof to the administrator in step 106.The administrator then typically sends the proof to the employee forverification, and receives the returned proof with marked-upcorrections. The proof is then sent back to the printer in step 108. Theprinter typesets the corrections in step 110 and sends the proof back tothe customer in step 112. Steps 108-112 might be repeated several timesuntil the customer approves the proof in step 114. After the order isfinal, the printer must go through several additional steps before theorder is printed. For instance, the customer service department mightenter the job into the printer's internal tracking and billing system.The job then goes to the prepress department in step 116 whichreproduces the content into a format so that it is ready to print. Themanufacturing process is applied in step 118 and the order is printed.

[0006] Getting through this series of steps with the printer usuallytakes several days. Typically, seven to ten days after this process iscompleted, the cards are received by the employee who ordered them.Because each job is entered manually, a new order for a similar customermay not look precisely like the last one. Add the complexities of amulti-location organization (with many employees) and a relativelysimple product purchase can become very complex.

[0007] Moreover, the printing of more complex items, such as full colorpamphlets and brochures, results in many more iterations between thedesign agency, the customer and the prepress department. The iterationsdue to color correction and perfection of all design elements likelyresults in even more time required to complete the product. Despite theiterative steps described above, it is estimated that 15% to 30% ofprint jobs for traditional business materials arrive at the customerwith errors. The propensity for errors and the general lack ofconsistency produced using the traditional process is due in large partto the manual nature of the task. At each step in the process the filemay be opened and manipulated repeatedly, which introduces newopportunities for errors and inconsistencies.

[0008]FIG. 2 illustrates a prior art block diagram 200 of representativesteps in the process and describes potential problems that may occur.

Preview

[0009] The process begins with a customer providing the print vendorwith the information on the product to be composed. The customer willtypically provide the information on an order form, make annotations toa physical sample, and/or communicate the data verbally. The printvendor's job is to create a layout of the print product for the customerto preview and approve. The print vendor will typically interpret thecustomer's information and compose a preview layout of the product in apublishing tool such as Pagemaker or Quark XPress. In FIG. 2 this isshown by the print vendor computer 202 creating a preview layout file206.

[0010] Unfortunately, this task is made more complicated by a commonpractice called “mastering”. To control costs in printing, it is commonto pre-print or “master” stock in bulk with certain static elements. Inmany cases the static elements are “spot color” or “process color”graphics (while the variable information is usually in a single color,often black). In order to provide a preview of what the printed productwill actually look like, the preview layout must contain both thevariable information and the mastered elements. Once the preview layoutis completed, it is then printed and sent to the customer for theirapproval.

[0011] The customer then reviews the facsimile of the proof, annotatesany changes, sends the proof back to the vendor via facsimile and/orcommunicates the changes to the vendor verbally. Once the customerapproves the preview layout, the vendor begins the prepress process. Itis important to note that the “preview” that the customer is approvingis a facsimile copy of a low-quality printout. Because the quality is solow, it is possible (even under the best of conditions) that the finalprinted product may look slightly different from the proof that thecustomer approved.

[0012] If the customer is very demanding, these differences may not beacceptable and will require that the vendor re-print the order.

[0013] A number of available software tools can be used by a humanoperator to create, review, and edit EPS files. However, EPS files thatultimately are output from products such as Illustrator, Quark,Pagemaker, or Photoshop all have certain differences, or eccentricities,which are difficult to account for and process on a consistent basis.Also, they do not ensure referential integrity or consistent settingsfor color in such files. Some checking may be done to analyze and detectproblems in EPS files, however, such checking does nothing to fix orstandardize an output EPS file. In addition, as described below, eachtime a human operator must open a file manually and review it using aparticular software program there is the potential for errors to beintroduced into the file.

Composition

[0014] Step 208 in FIG. 2 shows the next process step of composition. Inparticular, now that the customer has approved the preview, the vendormust create a layout that is suitable for printing. To do this, all ofthe mastered elements that were included in the preview layout must beremoved. This means that the vendor must open the preview layout fileand manipulate the file data manually by hand. This is problematic,however, because the vendor is changing a file (or data structure) thatthe customer has already approved. It is possible that alterations willbe made, either intentionally or accidentally, that will change thecontent or appearance of the product when it is finally printed. Theresult is the print layout file 210, as so modified.

[0015] The errors that can occur are numerous and varied. Even simpleprocedures can result in major problems. One simple example is the useof “keyboard shortcuts”. Many professionals use a series of keyboardshortcuts (as offered by various programs) instead of a mouse to savetime in performing simple tasks. These shortcuts typically require theuser to press a modifier key (such as “ALT” or “CTRL”) and then pressthe desired shortcut key. Sometimes, however, the user will mistype andaccidentally end up inserting text into a document inadvertently. Forexample, if the user is trying to cut a graphic or piece of text from adocument, the user might use the keyboard shortcut for “cut” (CRTL-X).If the user fails to fully depress the CTRL key, the letter “X” will beinserted into the document. While this a relatively straightforwardproblem, such mistakes might not be detected until late in the process.This might require the vendor to re-print the product, which isexpensive and time-consuming. Hence, any reduction in the overall riskof introducing human intervention into the process would beadvantageous.

[0016] As another representative example, the act of opening the filecan lead to the common problem of “font substitution.” Note that thepreview layout file does not (generally) contain the font data necessaryto display the text. To save space, the file simply refers to a fontfile that is stored on the computer used to open the document. If thecomputer does not have one or more of the fonts referred to by thepreview layout file, the closest possible match will generally besubstituted from the fonts available. This is known as “fontsubstitution.” Publishing programs may not inform the user that fontsubstitution is taking place. If the user does not notice the swap, thesubstituted fonts will be saved with the new document.

[0017] When the vendor finally exports the data as a PostScript file forprinting, the file will refer to the substituted fonts, not the originalfonts. Sometimes the substituted fonts are very similar to the correctfonts, so they might look fine. However, in many cases the substitutedfonts are significantly different, causing the final printed product tolook vastly different from the preview. Typical problems range from lowimpact results (e.g., the text looking slightly different), to severedifferences (e.g., the text wrapping onto multiple lines, the textcoming out completely garbled, etc.). Because final proofing will not bedone until later in the process, these problems are often very costly tofix when (and if) they are eventually found.

Trapping

[0018] Trapping is a printing process used to adjust areas where twodistinct colors meet so that press mis-registration will not cause whitespecks. Trapping can also be done during the proofing process. It wouldoccur after layout of the product was accomplished, after graphicelements had been identified and placed, and after variable data (name,telephone, address, etc.) had been identified and placed.

[0019] Trapping involves specific manipulation of certain areas in thefile. As in composition, if the file is manually manipulated there isthe potential for error. The trapping process produces a trapped file207.

Imposition

[0020] Step 212 next shows the imposition being performed and is used tocreate an imposed layout file 214. Imposition is the process ofpreparing the print layout for production on a press. The main goal ofimposition is to arrange multiple pages and/or images in the properorder for efficient printing. For example, it is far more efficient toimpose four or more business cards onto a single plate than to printeach business card individually. The imposition process also requiresthe addition of elements such as crop marks, registration marks, foldmarks, color bars, die marks, and the like to the original print layoutfile. Imposition can be performed manually or via an automated program.Again, manually opening the file to perform imposition can lead toproblems.

Color Separation

[0021] Color separation, as shown in step 216, is the process ofseparating a color image into a series of single color images that willbe used to produce plates. When each single-color plate is printed ontop of one another, the result is a composite color image. The colorseparation step produces a color separated file 218.

[0022] Color separation is performed previous to raster image processing(RIP). An imposed layout file must be color separated prior to the RIP,which means that the vendor must use another software program. In suchcases, errors including font and graphic substitution can occur just asthey did in the composition and imposition stages.

Printing

[0023] Once a file is imposed and color separated (plate file) is it isready for processing by a RIP 224. There are many techniques used tocreate PostScript files. Depending on the workflow employed by the printvendor, the PostScript file may include font subsetting as well as OPIcomments that are processed by the RIP device. In either of these cases,it is possible to introduce font and graphic substitution errors. Theoutput from the RIP (which is generally a rastered file) is sent to anoutput device 226, which might include a recorder or image setter. Theoutput device 226 places the image on a medium to be used by the pressdevice 228. Alternatively, the binary file 230 could be receiveddirectly by a digital press device 232 for printing.

Prior Electronic Solutions

[0024] Based upon the above-described problems with the traditionalprocess, different prior electronic solutions have been proposed. Whilesuch solutions have attempted to solve the consistency problem inprocessing a print job, they have generally proven to be insufficient.Below are detailed certain example solutions, and problems associatedwith each solution.

[0025] One proposed solution includes attempting to automate the processof preview and print layout generation by writing custom plug-ins tocommercially-available publishing programs such as Quark XPress or AdobePageMaker. One drawback to this solution is that the modified softwarecannot generally keep track of which elements in a layout are masteredand which are not. This means that at least two PostScript files must begenerated, one for the preview layout and one for the print layout.Also, the modified software lacks the ability to store specialproduction information in the PostScript file, such as ink codes, stockinformation, and other details. The overall solution therefore relies onhumans to properly recall this information, or the solution mustretrieve such information from yet another document, without anyassurance of the accuracy of the production information in the otherdocument. Moreover, these systems do not maintain a reference forstandard corporate design or procurement rules for printed matter, andas such are prone to error and not susceptible to automated validation.

[0026] Another solution involves using Open Prepress Interface, or OPI.The OPI Specification 1.3 from Adobe Corporation defines the OpenPrepress Interface as a collection of PostScript-language commentconventions that allows a page-layout program to use low- ormedium-resolution TIFF images for layout and proofing, and have aprepress system or OPI server automatically substitute a high resolutionTIFF or other image when the final film or plates are generated. Bothdesktop prepress software and high-end prepress systems can use OPIcomments to minimize network traffic and image storage requirements.

[0027] Certain functionality is desired, however, which OPI does notinherently provide. Example of such drawbacks include the following. OPIdoes not generate preview or print layouts. It simply provides alow-resolution file for display on screen and then provides ahigh-resolution counterpart that is used when it comes time to print.Also, OPI itself cannot determine whether the system is printing thepreview layout or the print layout. Moreover, even if OPI could discernwhich layout it is printing, it lacks the logic to decide which image touse in which situation. Further, OPI only works for graphic images; itcannot be used to control text data.

[0028] Still other processes have tried to solve the consistency problemby using a simple Internet solution. Such solutions involve an on-lineweb site for product ordering that also generates a low-resolutionbitmap of preview images that are displayed to the customer at ordertime for approval. One drawback of these solutions is that their bitmapfile formats are unable to differentiate between mastered andnon-mastered elements such as graphics or text, so the system mustgenerate one low-resolution bitmap image for preview and another high-resolution image for the other stages of the production process. Also,the bitmap images used in these solutions cannot storeproduction-specific information such as ink codes, stock information,and other details. Hence, such solutions generally reproduce theproblems associated with the traditional process, but in acomputer-controlled environment.

[0029] Still another solution might involve an implementation using someform of programming language. PostScript (for instance) is a programminglanguage for imaging devices. Many solutions propose using some form ofPostScript programming. However, it should be noted that the PostScriptlanguage, by itself, does not constitute a complete solution to theaforementioned problems. For example, the PostScript language does notcontain any concept that differentiates between preview and printelements and cannot automatically solve the problems with consistency inthe print process.

Prepress Software Applications—PDF to PostScript Conversion

[0030] As mentioned above, when a human operator manually runs aprepress application to process a file there is a great potential forerror. For one, because of the subjective nature of the process, theoperator may inadvertently make a mistake. Also, similar printedmaterials may not be consistent because the operator may unknowingly usedifferent settings when a job is processed over and over again. There isno standard format or automated way for the operator to save particularsettings for a job to be run under a certain prepress application. Ingeneral, there is a need for more certainty, consistency, andstandardization in the use of prepress software applications. Customerscould also benefit from a system and technique that would providegreater scalability and greater speed in the processing of printingorders.

[0031] In particular, converting a PDF file to a PostScript file is aprepress application that could benefit from the above. Converting PDFto PostScript is a printing process used throughout the prepressindustry to normalize PostScript. When a PDF file is converted toPostScript a new output file is created holding the PostScript output.The new file is created according to the user interface options selectedin third party applications, or according to the exposed API parametersfrom the PDF Library. The result PostScript file is normalized DSC Adobestandard PostScript.

[0032] When a PDF file is converted PostScript to there are manydecisions to be made for the output of the file. Some of these includefont subsetting, font substitution, font inclusion, PostScript level,allowing RGB images, allowing binary images, page rotation, and allowinghalftone images.

[0033] A number of available software tools can be used by a humanoperator to convert PostScript files to PDF, including the creation,review and editing of the resultant PDF file. Some of these tools haveexposed proprietary APIs that can be used to control them. PDF filesgenerated by software tools such as Adobe Photoshop and Freehand eachhave their own quirks and eccentricities. Settings of parameters (suchas font subsetting, font substitution, font inclusion, PostScript level,allowing RGB images, allowing binary images, page rotation, and allowinghalftone images) for these applications are all set through proprietaryuser interfaces in each product. Conversion settings specified by humanhands introduces the possibility for errors in the process as eachconversion is variable according to the user's choice. Also, conversioncan take a variable length of time (possibly hours) depending on whichsettings are used, any changes needed, any proofing, etc., and humanintervention is needed to oversee and drive all steps in the conversionprocess.

[0034] Therefore, it would be desirable to have a system and techniquethat would remedy many of the above problems associated with manualconversion of files in the printing process.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0035] In response to aforementioned costly, cumbersome and error-proneenvironment, the present invention utilizes certain technology, alongwith an interface medium such as the Internet, to offer a fullyautomated, efficient and cost-effective solution for producing printjobs and the like. The present invention reduces the number of timesthat human intervention is required in the process and thereby reduceslabor intensity, labor cost, time, and high error rates.

[0036] In particular, a PDF to PostScript conversion prepressapplication is hosted on a server and is automated to provideconsistent, error-free and rapid conversion of files used in theprinting process. Conversion of a PDF file is accomplished using a PDFto PostScript conversion subsystem. This subsystem includes the masterfarmer service and a conversion module. A client application such as theproduct setup module requests that input PDF files be converted.Conversion parameter settings for the client application are pulled fromthe image logic information database (ILIAD). The client applicationcommunicates to the master farmer service the conversion job, which isforwarded to the conversion module.

[0037] Conversion of PDF files is done using the Farm service in aconversion module that automates a third party prepress conversionapplication. The conversion module uses the PDF Library to actuallyperform the automated conversion. The conversion module accepts multipleparameters holding conversion specific information, then uses thelibrary to actually perform the conversion. These parameters passed tothe conversion module hold the decisions for the conversion of the PDFfile to PostScript. The Farm service then outputs the resultantPostScript file. The client application continuously polls the Farmservice for status of the individual conversion jobs.

[0038] One advantage of the present invention is that automatedconversion is performed. PostScript files are produced automatically bya hosted server application in an automated prepress management systemthat is highly scalable. Also, standard, consistent, files are produced.Exact settings are stored and retrieved from a database for theconversion process to produce consistent results for similar jobs.Conversion can be completed for large projects in subsecond time framesup to 1 minute (depending on file size). No human intervention is neededto convert files.

[0039] The present invention provides numerous other advantages. Forone, by hosting a prepress application on a server, the prepressapplication can be invoked automatically by any of a variety of clientapplications (such as the product setup module, proofing module, webserver, plater service, etc.) as part of a complete printing system. Nohuman intervention or manipulation of a file is needed which greatlyreduces errors. In addition, the turnaround time for a printing job isgreatly reduced. Also, the use of washing during customer setup and theproduct certification process means that errors are further reduced.Secondly, the ability to save and reuse parameter values for particularprepress application means that similar jobs for a client will be outputin consistent form. In specific embodiments, default parameter valuesmay be hardcoded into the specific module that runs the prepressapplication (such as the trapping module, imposition module, etc.) sothat the application is run consistently with respect to thoseparameters. Also, any job parameters determined at run time by eitherthe customer or the entity executing the system are stored in the imagelogic information database (ILIAD) for future use. For example, adecision made with respect to the look of a business card is stored inthe database and reused, thus producing a consistent output for futurebusiness card orders. Output is consistent for the same jobs run overand over again. Thirdly, the system is also highly scalable. Hosting aprepress application on a server means that more servers and/or moreapplications can be added as the need arises. The Farm system asdescribed herein provides an environment where servers and/or modulescan be added as required.

[0040] In order to eliminate the numerous opportunities for error thatappear in the many stages of the traditional print process, in oneparticular embodiment the present invention utilizes a single electronicfile format, a “Print Ready File” (PRF) format, that can be used at allstages of the process. This format provides the ability to tag certainelements to indicate whether they should be included in the previewlayout, the print layout, or both. At each stage, the software programsthat read and process the information check these tags to determine theexact content required at that stage.

[0041] The Print Ready File has each element precisely mapped. Becauseno human is required to alter it, the data for the product and thelocation of its elements need not change. This eliminates a large sourceof human error. Additionally, because the present system uses thePostScript language (or its equivalent), the present system does notnecessarily need to employ commercial page layout software. The presentsystem allows the font and graphic information to be embedded directlyinto the file. This eliminates errors, including the font and graphicsubstitution errors common to the traditional process. Thus, a singlefile contains all of the data needed for the entire process. The filethat the customer previews is the same file that is sent to the vendor(or ultimately the printer). This leads to consistency throughout thelife of a print order, and provides for extremely low error ratesoverall.

[0042] According to one aspect, an Internet site is used to provide aprinting service embodying the present invention. Once a particularcustomer job is set up, the customer can modify, order, proof, andcontrol its printed and graphic materials. The solution provided by thepresent invention helps to eliminate the back and forth process betweenthe customer and the printer.

[0043] Resulting features of the overall system include, but are notlimited to, the following: (1) The system contains all of the data thecustomer needs in order to print the customer's materials. (2) Data arecompletely secure and is the property of the customer. (3) The systemincorporates rules to ensure that no matter which party might happen toinput data, the resulting printed materials are printed in a mannerconsistent with the corporate image and design policies that have beenapproved. (4) The system incorporates a variety of business logic,including procurement, authorization security and billing rules definedby the company. These rules set up an authorization process whereby anemployee puts in an order and it is routed to the authorized party. Thepurchasing administrator then releases the particular order to be sentto the printer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0044] The invention, together with further advantages thereof, may bestbe understood by reference to the following description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

[0045]FIG. 1 is a representative prior art block diagram of the overallflow of a traditional print job ordering process.

[0046]FIG. 2 is a representative prior art block diagram of themodification of files in the traditional print job ordering process.

[0047]FIG. 3 illustrates an overview of an On-line Automated PrintingSystem.

[0048]FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of the On-line AutomatedPrinting System.

[0049]FIG. 5 illustrates further details regarding the ILIAD database ofFIG. 4.

[0050]FIG. 6 illustrates further details regarding the OPO databaseincorporated within the ILIAD database of FIG. 5.

[0051]FIG. 7 illustrates further details regarding the asset managementfile server of FIG. 4.

[0052]FIG. 8 illustrates a Master Farmer service managing any number ofFarm service processes.

[0053]FIG. 9 illustrates the Master Farmer service interacting with aclient computer and a server computer running a farm service process.

[0054]FIG. 10 illustrates load balancing performed by a Farm service forany number of jobs.

[0055]FIG. 11 shows a representative example of a chart from FIG. 10used for load balancing.

[0056]FIG. 12 illustrates basic data constructs of certain elements of aPrint Ready File.

[0057]FIG. 13 is a representative flowchart of the overall process theprinting system.

[0058]FIG. 14 is a flow diagram of representative steps comprising the“Customer Setup” step of FIG. 13.

[0059]FIG. 15 is a flow diagram of representative steps of the “CreatePrint Ready File” step of FIG. 13.

[0060]FIG. 16 is a flow diagram of representative steps of the “GeneratePreview File” step of FIG. 13.

[0061]FIG. 17 is a block diagram illustrating a PDF to PostScriptconversion subsystem according to one embodiment of the invention.

[0062]FIG. 18 is a flow diagram illustrating execution of an automated,hosted pre-press PDF to PostScript conversion application.

[0063]FIGS. 19A and 19B illustrate a computer system suitable forimplementing embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0064] For ease of discussion, the following detailed description makesreference to the generation and printing of a business card. It shouldbe kept in mind that the inventive concepts disclosed herein applyequally well to many other types of materials such as film, screens,overlays, cloth, and to other printed matter such as letterhead,envelopes, notepads, posters, newsletters, coffee mugs, pens, hats,shirts, and also to electronic materials such as virtual cards, webpages, e-mail, etc. In accordance with one aspect of the presentinvention the Adobe PostScript language is used. However, any otherfunctional equivalent might be used for image generation according to aset of programming language instructions. Similarly, where other productexamples are referred to, or used to achieve an end result, the samefunctional equivalent might also be used within the spirit and scope ofthe present invention.

[0065] In addition, an Internet-based ordering system provides thecustomer with the ability to interact with the system to preview andapprove orders. The figures below will provide an overview of theordering system in order to demonstrate the context in which customersmake use of the system. It should be noted that the present inventionwould also work with other ordering techniques. The Internet-basedordering system described below is one example of how the invention maybe used.

On-Line Automated Printing System Overview

[0066]FIG. 3 shows a block diagram 300 of a generalized series of stepsused in creating a print order. A customer 302 contacts a web site viathe computer 304. The customer inputs data on the web site according todata prompts needed to generate the customer's desired print job. Thesystem creates a Print Ready File (PRF), as shown in element 305. ThePRF 306 is shown to the customer 302 for on-screen proofing 308 ofvarious elements comprising the product. Once the order is approved,step 310 shows the order being sent to the printer. The PRF 306 isthereafter sent to printer as a print order 312, and the manufacturing(or printing) process begins.

[0067] In the specific embodiment of an Internet-based ordering system,an Internet front-end provides a custom web site for a customer. Thecustomer goes to the web site and selects a particular product to order.The web site loads a pre-configured order form for the selected product,and the customer enters the data they wish to appear on the businesscard. The web site then transmits the data to the system which generatesthe Print Ready File (e.g., as a unique PostScript file).

[0068] The web site then takes this Print Ready File and uses it tocreate the preview layout. It does this by sending the Print Ready Fileto a viewer program (i.e. the Adobe Acrobat Distiller program), whichreads the Print Ready File and creates a Portable Document Format (PDF)file. This file is then sent to the customer via the Internet and isviewed on the computer screen of the customer. In the preferredembodiment, the preview is displayed as a PDF file. While other types offiles might be used (GIF, etc.) PDF files are preferred because first,they are extremely high in resolution quality, and second, a PDF fileprovides a customer with a well-known format to process and view thepreview layout.

[0069] The customer then views the file and determines approval (or not)of the item. If the customer desires to change their individual data,the customer then views the order form again, changes their data, andthe system generates a new preview file. If the item is approved, thecustomer clicks a button that tells the system to save the order. Theorder data for the customer (i.e. quantity, shipping address, etc.) issaved to a back-end database, and the Print Ready File is saved on aserver. Once the order is saved, it is tagged as a “pending” order or a“released” order. Some customers wish for all of their orders to bestored in a holding queue so that an administrator may grant them finalapproval. These are considered “pending” orders. Once the administratorgrants final approval, the “pending” order is marked as a “released”order.

[0070] Once an order has been released, it goes through the variousstages of the production process (e.g. setup, composition, imposition,etc.) which are described in further detail below. Each stage of theprocess preferably uses the Print Ready File that was generated when theuser created their preview. Once the order is printed, it is shipped tothe customer, and the order is complete.

On-Line Automated Printing System

[0071] Referring now to FIG. 4, further system-level details of thisoverall process are shown. A block diagram 400 is shown of the systemand the interaction of representative components. In general, thisfigure describes an overview of an Internet-based ordering system; asstated above, other ordering modes might be used. The customer 402 isshown interacting with a customer computer 404. A web site residing onthe primary web server 408 is contacted via the Internet link 406. AnImage Logic Information Database (ILIAD) 410 is coupled to the server408.

[0072] A product setup software module 409 preferably resides on webserver 408 and is used to implement the steps of FIG. 14 (CustomerSetup) by which the customer provides product information, providesbusiness rules, a custom web site is created, and any prepressapplication appropriate for setup (such as color washing) is performed.The OPC module is used by customers to actually order products. Theproduct setup module is used internally by product specialists to enterdata for these customer's products into ILIAD. Preferably they areseparate tools, one for setup, one for ordering.

[0073] Once product information has been successfully entered, the PRF412 can be generated, through the OPC client, by the farm processingservice 414 (or “the Farm”) upon being ordered by the customer. The Farm414 is generally comprised of at least one, and usually several, highpowered computers (e.g., a PC running Windows NT). The Farm is designedto load balance file processing tasks by determining system impact ofvarious jobs and distributing them accordingly. The Farm is also highlyscalable, with control being routed through a single point of contact(i.e. a process running on a server, referred to as the “Master FarmerService”). Each different file processing module runs out of processfrom a main process. Within the Farm, each file processing module iscontrolled by an intermediate module which is specific to a number offile processing modules. The intermediate module communicates with thelower level modules and handles all the specific interactions with themodules. Jobs can be re-routed if failures occur within any particularhigh-level, intermediate or low-level file processing modules. Timeestimates can also be provided regarding the processing of jobs. TheFarm Processing Service, in general, introduces little overhead inprocessing of tasks, and each individual service running within can beconfigured to run any of the file processing tasks. The Farm 414provides a platform apart from the web server 408 for running processingsteps on the Print Ready File. It should be noted that any suchprocessing could also be done on the web server 408, with load balancingof the job processing managed there.

[0074] The completed PRF 416 is thereafter passed onto the assetmanagement file server (AMFS) 418. The general data composition of theAMFS is further described in FIG. 7. The AMFS 418 is file server (ordatabase) used to store components relating to a client's product whichshould generally not change. In other words, these are the “assets” ofthe client, such as company logos and the like. Such components areintended to include encapsulated PostScript (EPS) files containingcustomer logos and graphics, diagrams, illustrations, static text andthe like.

[0075] Referring again to FIG. 4, the user can also request a preview ofthe PRF 420. The Farm 414 reads back the preview PRF 422 from the AMFS418 data store. The preview PRF 422 is then sent back to the web server408 which applies software such as the Adobe Acrobat Distiller program.This (or similar) software reads the PRF and creates a PDF or similarfile. The preview PRF file 422 is then sent to the user via the Internetand is viewed on the customer's computer screen.

[0076] If the preview PRF is accepted by the user, the completed PRF 424is thereafter retrieved from the AMFS 418 and sent for furtherprocessing operations. A batcher service 426 and plater service 428 areshown which are each typically a software module running on ahigh-powered PC or the like. The batcher 426 receives the PRF 424 andperforms logical imposition on the data. This would include server basedsoftware for automatic imposition. The plater 428 performs further stepsincluding, for instance, imposition and color separation, and theformation of a high resolution print file. Both the batcher 426 and theplater 428 communicate via link 411 with the ILIAD 410 in order to readand use the rules stored therein in performing their designated tasks.The batcher 426 and plater 428 also communicate via link 427, whichmight include a TCP/IP link or the like.

[0077] A plate file 430 is thereafter stored in the AMFS 418. The platefile 430 is also sent to a vendor order system (VOS) 432. The VOS 432 istypically comprised of a PC or the like. The VOS 432 serves as atransactional machine, or a gate for all other vendors which might existdownstream. The VOS 432 might process tasks or information, includingbut not limited to, job instructions, purchase orders, invoices,payments, and shipping status of orders. The VOS 432 includes a link 434to the ILIAD 410 in order to retrieve various business informationpertaining to particular customers. The VOS 432 receives a plate file430 from the plater 428. In this example, the plate file 430 is yetanother type of PostScript file.

[0078] The VOS 432 may be used to send the plate file 430 to any othersystem or to any request source via any reasonable medium. Suchinformation could be traded, auctioned off, or distributed across manydifferent markets, in many different ways, and across many differentmediums. Such information could also be supplied by various customersand aggregated for processing by VOS 432 and ILIAD 410. In this example,an Internet connection 436 is shown wherein a vendor computer 438interacts with the VOS 432. The vendor computer 438 negotiates an orderwith the VOS 432 and receives the plate file 430. Many other such vendorcomputers might exist and contact the VOS 432.

[0079] Vendor computer 438 thereafter sends the plate file 430 to araster image processor (RIP) 442. Note that the plate file mightalternatively be sent directly to the RIP via link 440 if the VOS 432 isnot a desired element in the process. The RIP 442 is typically a PC orthe like running RIP software. The output to the RIP should preferablybe in Level 1 PostScript, to support all possible RIPs. To accommodatethese features, the preferred embodiment implements the Print Ready Filein the Adobe PostScript language. It should be noted that otherlanguages aside from PostScript can also be used that support the aboveconditions. For example, other page composition languages/formats can beused. Also, other RIPs or specialized equipment can be supported forcustom print orders, and the like.

[0080] The RIP produces a bitmap file 443 which is sent to a recorder444. The recorder 444 is an image setting device which takes the rawbits from the RIP and translates them into a press input medium 446.Such media 446 might include film, RC paper, or whatever input sourcethe press 448 is looking for. The press 448 takes the input mediumsource and produces the end result, in this case a business card 450.The business card 450 is shipped or routed 452 back to the customer 402to complete the overall process.

[0081] The general data composition of ILIAD 410 is further described inFIG. 5. The elements shown are meant to be illustrative, and are notmeant to limit the data structure of ILIAD to such elements. Product anddesign information are shown generally as element 460, and is shown tofurther include asset information 462. Asset information is intended toinclude various customer logos, text, or fonts (i.e. “assets” of thecustomer) to be used on the printed products. Such information might beprovided as data files, or via menu prompts and the like, from thecustomer. Specifications and costs 464 would include informationpertaining to individualized costs for implementation of certaindesigns, and the like. Layout rules 466 would include the various rulesto be used in arranging figures or text on the printed product, so thatconflicts and inappropriate layout schemes do not occur. Customizationrules and options 468 might provide for further custom designcapabilities in arranging unique layouts.

[0082] ILIAD 410 is also shown to include manufacturing information 470.Such manufacturing information might include (but is not limited to)imposition rules 472, separation rules 474, vendor information 476, andtrapping rules 478. These various rules are used in the system forarranging and preparing the images and/or elements in the Print ReadyFile (PRF). Order processing and work-in-progress (WIP) information 480is also shown. Such information might include (but is not limited to)customer information 482, work orders 484, shipping information 486, andpricing information 488. An on-line printing center (OPC) database 490is shown incorporated within ILIAD, with further details regarding itsdata contents described in FIG. 6. The OPC database might also existseparately from the ILIAD, but is shown incorporated here as oneembodiment.

[0083] Referring now to FIG. 6, the OPC 490 is shown to include (but isnot limited to) corporate procurement rules 491. Such rules mightfurther include users/roles 492, privileges 493, purchasing rules 494,and billing/shipping rules 495. Customer Products/Assets 496 includesdesign/brand information 461, asset information 463,catalogs-products-kits 465, and customization rules/forms 467. The OPC490 is shown to further include a variable information database 497.This data store contains information that regularly changes, such aslocations, departments, titles, etc. 469. Employees 471 are alsoincluded in this data grouping 497.

[0084] Referring now to FIG. 7, the AMFS 418 is shown to containrepresentative data, including for example low resolution EPS files 419,high resolution EPS files 421, Preview PDF files 423, and PostScriptfonts 425.

Master Farmer Service, Farm Services, and Load Balancing

[0085] FIGS. 8-11 illustrate a preferred embodiment for the farm serviceprocessing unit 414 of FIG. 4. Referring now to FIG. 8, a Master Farmerservice 550 is shown interacting with a plurality of Farm services 552,554, 556, and 558. Still other Farm services might also be connected tothe Master Farmer. The collective interaction of the Master Farmer andthe Farm services is referred to as the Farm system.

[0086]FIG. 9 shows the interaction between the Master Farmer and Farmservices in more detail. A first machine N (600) is shown hosting (orrunning) the Master Farmer 602. A second machine N+1 (604) is shownhosting (or running) Farm service 606. The Master Farmer 602 interactswith the Farm 606 via link 603. This link might be over any of a varietyof transmission mediums, including the Internet. Still other machines,i.e. machine N+M (640), can be included to host other Farm services, andinteract with the Master Farmer via link 642.

[0087] According to the present terminology, the basic structureunderneath a Farm service 606 includes Field modules, e.g. 608 and 610.The purpose of a Field module is to communicate with a specific Plotmodule (e.g. 612, 614, 616, and 618). A Plot is an application (or thelike) that can be made to run out-of-process from the Farm service. APlot module runs a secondary application with job data, in order togenerate an output. Each Plot is responsible for making sure the task(or job) gets completed. The Plot is used to turn the job packet into aformat that a particular application can understand. It is generally thefunction of the Plot to monitor the job and encapsulate the timeestimation for completing the job.

[0088] This out-of-process structure of Plots is maintained so that ifsomething were to go wrong with the Plot, it does not necessarily affect(in an adverse way) the running of the Farm service. Each Plot processesa file or task, and each Plot is tied to one application. The Fieldserves as a place for the Farm service to find out the status of thePlots. The Field is generally configured to run as part of the Farmservice process. If the Field goes down, then the associated Farmservice may also go down. Plots, however, generally run out-of-processsince the system will have little control over third party applications.If a third party application ceases to work, then it will not take downthe whole associated system.

[0089] A client 620 (as typically shown using a CPU) interacts with theMaster Farmer 602 via link 605. The client provides tasks or jobs, suchas files or the like, to be processed by the system. These tasks or jobsare represented as job A (622), job B (624), and so forth through job E(626). As each file or task request comes into the Master Farmer, it isthereafter distributed to a Farm service, and then to a Field module,and then to a Plot module for handling that task. Typically a Plot isconfigured (or chosen) to handle one particular type of incoming task.The Plot processes the task, and sends back a message regarding thesuccess or failure in performing the task.

[0090] An example Plot module might include Adobe Acrobat Distiller,which converts a PostScript file into a PDF file. PDF (Portable DocumentFormat) is a file format that has captured all the elements of a printeddocument as an electronic image that can be viewed, navigated, printed,or forwarded. PDF files are created using Adobe Acrobat, AcrobatCapture, or other comparable products. To view and use the files, theAcrobat Reader is typically used. PDF files are particularly useful fordocuments such as magazine articles, product brochures, or flyers, whenit is desired to preserve the original graphical appearance of thepages. Still another example of a Plot application includes Vipre(Versatile Product Rendering Engine), which is the rendering engine usedto generate Print Ready Files. The overall system structure mightinclude many such Plot modules, each of which are capable of running thesame application such as Distiller, Viper (or others). Such redundancyallows for simultaneous processing of similar tasks or jobs.

[0091] Each separate Plot is configured to communicate with itsassociated Field, and the Farm will “oversee” (manage, monitor, etc.)the Fields underneath it. The system is designed to let any number ofFields run on a particular Farm. If it is determined that any particularPlot is too processor intensive, that particular Plot can be run on asingle Farm service, and/or on a single Farm machine. This can be usedto speed up the processing of Plot applications on other Farm machines.Moreover, the different elements of this system can be segregated andmoved very readily from one machine to another. For instance, a Field(with all of its Plots) running on a particular machine can be movedonto a different machine. This can provide extra processing speed forFields remaining on the original machine.

[0092] As a result, the overall Farm system is generally scalable, sincethe system is controlled by a single point of contact, namely the MasterFarmer service. The Master Farmer distributes work among the Farmservices. Each machine in the Farm system has an instance of the Farmservice running on it. Each Farm service communicates with the MasterFarmer, thereby making itself available for jobs. Each Farm can have oneor all of the file processing tasks running on it. As many new machinesas are needed can be added to run the Farm service, and therebyaccommodate varying loads. Each Farm service can include configurableparameters to control its system usage (e.g. Windows NT threads, or thelike). The service can also be tuned to particular tasks that theservice performs, and to the machine that the service is running on. TheFarm system can take advantage of multiple processors, and be made toscale upwards (or downwards) according to the system on which it isrunning.

[0093] As for errors, there are generally two types: job or task errors,and system failures. System failures are when a particular Farm service,Field, or Plot fails unexpectedly when trying to process a task. Thisfailure would generally be in an area that should not be a failure. Insuch a case, the Farm service will alert the Master Farmer that it willno longer accept tasks, and shut itself down. When a particular Farm hasshut itself down, or stopped communicating, the Master Farmer will routeall tasks running on that Farm to other Farm machines running thatspecific file processing task.

[0094] The Master Farmer therefore serves as a central load balancingarea. The overall Farm (i.e., the combination of the Master Farmer andFarm services) is designed to load balance file processing tasks. Toperform such balancing, the overall Farm system determines how processorintensive each particular application is, and processes the file eitherlocally or remotely. The Farm system is configured to determine thesystem impact by the size of the job rather than the actual task beingperformed. Each different type of file processing task judges therelative size of each task and the Farm uses this size, and the currentprocessor load, to determine how to distribute (or load balance) thevarious tasks.

[0095] If a client machine needs to process a job, then the clientmachine will interact directly with the Master Farmer. Example jobsmight include: creating a consistent PostScript file, converting aPostScript file into a PDF file, or converting a PostScript file into abitmap file. The Master Farmer has one or more Farm machines connectedto it. The Master Farmer machine might also be configured to have a Farmprocess running on that same machine. The Master Farmer is constantlyreceiving updates from each Farm machine (or server), wherein the Farmmachine provides feedback on the burden level of the Master Farmer. Theburden level relates to how long a particular job will take on that FarmService.

[0096] Referring now to FIG. 10, yet another level of detail is shownregarding the relationship between the Farm services, Field, and Plotmodules in terms of load balancing. Each Farm service 702 receives jobsA, B, . . . E from the Master Farmer. The Farm sends the respective jobsto a Field, which has associated Plots 706, 708, and 710. The jobs aresent to the respective Plots according to the job type. For instance, ifa client wants to convert a PostScript file into a PDF file, the clientsends that particular request to the Master Farmer. The Master Farmerthen determines which particular Field has the necessary application (orPlot) associated with it to accomplish this task. The Master Farmermaintains an evolving list of the Farm services and associated Fieldsand Plots. The Master Farmer walks through each Farm service, anddetermines which potential Plots might be able to process the task.

[0097] The Master Farmer also determines the level of burden for eachFarm service. The level of burden is a function of the CPU usage for themachine associated with the Farm service, and the size of the jobs beingprocessed by each set of Plots associated with a Field. Each task beingsent to the Master Farmer has a size associated with it. This is arelative number that is used to estimate and load balance the task.

[0098] Each Field maintains its own chart 712 of CPU usage versus jobsize, in order to provide an estimate of how long the particular jobwill take. FIG. 11 shows a representative example of such a chart 712 inmore detail. The charts are compiled into an overall level of burden onthe Farm service, and the Master Farmer decides which Farm service willreceive any particular incoming task based upon the relative burdenlevel for such Farm services. An estimate of how long it will take toprocess the job is sent back to the client. The job is sent to aparticular Farm service, and the Farm service provides an update of thetime estimate to complete the job, which in turn is again sent back tothe client. The Master Farmer might detect that a job is going to takelonger than it should, and thereafter re-estimate how long the job willtake, in light of all the other traffic on the system. Clients can alsorequest new estimates.

[0099] The chart therefore serves as an indication of how busy the Farmservice is over a given period of time, and/or provides a historicalcurve of performance for particular applications. Over certain timeperiods, each Field is updating this chart, and the Farm servicepackages up all this information and updates the Master Farmer with suchinformation. Hence, if a client wants to run Distiller on a file, thenan X-Y performance curve for Distiller over a time period, for instancethe last few hours, will exist for estimation purposes. If an incomingfile is 2 MB, then an estimate can be made regarding processing a fileof this size. An important feature of the present system is that itlooks at pending files. If for instance a 600 MB file were pending, thenestimates would be adjusted accordingly. The chart is analyzed for eachFarm service in light of the size of the incoming jobs for that Farmservice. As a result, a job might be shifted and queued up to be fifthin line on a first Farm service, as opposed to first in line on secondFarm service, because it has been estimated that the job will run fasterdespite being fifth in line on the first Farm Service. Hence, regardlessof queue position, the time estimate for completion will control theultimate placement of the job on a Farm service. Both queuing andhistorical performance estimates are thereby used in deciding which Farmservice will handle the job.

[0100] It should be noted that prepress applications are generally veryfile intensive. As a result, the system is constantly reading andwriting to such files during the course of processing them. This allowsestimates on system usage to be based upon system impact assumptions(and predictions) relating to such file usage. For instance, prepressapplications generally have a large impact on the system; and/or a largeimpact on the network card if the application is reading and writing tothe network; and/or a large impact on the drive if the application isreading and writing to the local disk; and so forth along similarrelations. Hence, a chart can be constructed regarding system impact. Byway of example, if the processor is running at 75% utilization, and jobcomes in of size “X”, then predictions (and/or extrapolations) can bemade as to how long it will take to process that particular job. EachField maintains its own chart of CPU usage versus job size in order topredict how long a job will take. As network (or other such) conditionschange, then the chart will be revised. If, for instance, a size “5” jobat 75% CPU utilization will take 3 seconds to process, then it might beextrapolated that the same sized job at 50% CPU utilization will onlytake 2 seconds.

[0101] For prepress applications, the size of the job is generally easyto determine. For instance, if a PostScript file comes into the systemhaving a certain file size, then it is relatively straightforward toestimate how large the resulting PDF file will be. For most prepressapplications, there are generally input files and output files, whichfollow similar predictive patterns. In other systems—which might hostbusiness logic or the like—it is generally difficult to predict theimpact that different jobs might have on the general applicationsserver. File (or job) sizes, however, provide for more regularestimation.

[0102] The present invention is also configured to introduce little tono overhead in the processing of tasks. Certain speed advantages mightbe realized by running an application locally on a client machine.However, the present Farm system passes the job request from the MasterFarmer to a Farm service, and to the Field, and to the Plot, with nosignificant tradeoffs in speed. Moreover, a very large file might beprocessed more quickly on a larger machine (or machines) of the Farmsystem, as compared a smaller (less powerful) local machine.

[0103] The present Farm system is also easily expandable, wherein eachof the Farm services can be configured to run any of the file processingtasks. If a particular task is very resource intensive, it can be runalone on the system. When each Farm service tells the Master Farmer thatit is running and ready for tasks, it also identifies the tasks that itis servicing. Adding new file processing tasks is as simple as placingthe new Field and Plot on a machine in a particular directory.

Print Ready File

[0104] In order to accommodate the “state” of the file (e.g., Print orPreview), a global numeric variable, or “flag”, is used to indicatewhich elements will image when this file is processed. In this example,this flag is a PostScript integer and will be used for applying a bitmask to each of the state flags of the individual elements. Each elementhas four possible states: Print, Preview, Both, and none. This globalflag is written into the PostScript stream such that an application canfind the position of the flag within the file, and alter the value asneeded. The default or original value of the flag will be set to includeelements that are in a Preview or Both state. It is a unique andefficient aspect of this invention that a single flag may be used.However, alternative embodiments might use multiple flags, comparativeelements, or run-time logic to evaluate the appropriate state and directprocessing, all within the spirit of the invention.

[0105] The Line and Text elements will each check their respective stateflag against the global flag to see if their bit values are containedwithin the global flag, using a standard bitmasking technique of alogical AND operator. If the elemental state flag bits are not withinthe global flag (a zero result from the logical AND), a function isutilized to move the PostScript interpreter's file pointer past the endof that particular element. The element is thereby skipped, and theelement does not image.

[0106] Embedded graphics will use a different method than Line and Textelements for selecting Print, Preview, and Both states. When writing agraphic with a state of Preview, the graphic is embedded in the file,but OPI comments are used to link to a blank PostScript file. When usingthis file with a global flag set in a Print state, the blank PostScriptfile is used instead of the Preview one that is embedded within thefile. When writing a Print graphic, a blank PostScript file is embeddedand OPI comments are used to link to the graphic. When writing a graphicthat is in the Both state, the graphic is embedded with no OPI. There isa caveat to graphics in a Both state, and that is when the image is highresolution. High resolution raster graphics are usually very large. Onepurpose of the present system is to create a file that is relativelysmall, thereby enhancing speed in working with the file. Here, the OPIcomments are used to facilitate a solution. The low-resolution versionof the graphic is embedded in the file, and the OPI comments are used tolink to the high-resolution version. In this state, when using the filefor Preview, the low-resolution graphic is seen. When using the file forPrint, the high-resolution file is used. Because of the OPIimplementation, the programs used for creating Previews of thePostScript file are preferably configured to remove the OPI comments.The programs that utilize the PostScript file in a Print state shouldpreferably be configured to process the OPI comments.

[0107] One feature of the present system are the OPI links to externaldocuments. Along with the Print Ready File, each of the externallyreferenced files need not change. This is implemented, in part, bysecuring the directory where the graphics reside, and using operatingsystem security. Only applications controlled by the present systemmight be used to add files to this directory. These applications mightnot allow the modification or deletion of any of these files, but onlythe adding of new files. In this manner the externally referenced filesare secured such that they cannot be altered by accident, or on purpose.They can also be secured by access codes or authorization, as betweenprint and preview modes.

[0108] Referring now to FIG. 12, a representative construct of the PrintReady File 500 is shown. A global flag 502 is used to indicate whichelements can print. This flag is numeric and is used to apply a bit maskto the elements. For example the value “0 1” indicates that the elementsonly in the “Preview” state will not print, while those in “Print” stateshould be printed. In this example, it is shown as a 32-bit PostScriptinteger. Additionally, shown is a text element 504, a line element 506,and a graphical element 508. Each text and line element has associatedwith it four “states”: Print, Preview, Both, and none. However, thegraphical element does not use the “none” state. Preferably, thesestates of an element are represented in a 32-bit integer, similar to theglobal flag, termed a “state” flag.

[0109] The text and line elements 504 and 506 will each check theirrespective state flags against the global flag to see if they should beimaged. If the text or line element state flag does not match with theglobal flag, then the present invention will apply a routine ofPostScript operators to move the interpreter's file pointer past the endof the element in question, thereby skipping that element such that itdoes not image. For example, if text element has its “Preview” bit set,it would still not be imaged during a preview unless the “Preview” bitof the global flag was also set. This routine, hereafter referred to as“global flag comparison logic” is shown encompassing the text element504 with a start function 510 and an end function 512. The same logic isalso shown encompassing the line element 506 with a start function 514and an end function 516. Each element in the file preferably has thislogic wrapped around it.

[0110] The global flag comparison logic operates as follows. For eachtext and line element, the state flags of the element are compared tothe global flag. If the global flag matches the state flags, then theelement is processed. If the global flag does not match the state flags,then the element is not processed. The preferred embodiment skips theelement by moving the pointer past the element via a PostScript routine.The global flag comparison logic then loops back until each element iscompleted.

[0111] Embedded graphic elements will use a different method dependingupon the setting of the Print, Preview, and the Both state flags. ThePrint Ready File is being passed from point to point. In general, it isdesired to keep the size of the Print Ready File down to a minimum forcertain operations, thereby increasing the efficiency of the overallsystem. This is done by directly embedding a low resolution graphicalobject into the file for preview operations. For print operations, thepreview graphic is removed and a link to a high resolution graphic issupplied instead. When the flag is set for “both,” then a low resolutiongraphic is embedded in the file, and a link is provided to a highresolution graphic. Further details of operation of the Print

[0112] Ready File are found in U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/460,307 filed on Dec. 13, 1999.

Print Production Process Flow

[0113] Different applications are used at different stages of the printproduction process to produce a final printed product. Below, an overallflow of the process steps are first described. Thereafter, certainstages of the print production process are described in further detail.Use of a Print Ready File is disclosed as the preferred embodiment, butis not required. While described as flowchart steps, it is generallyrecognized that persons of ordinary skill in the art will recognize howto implement such applications from the flowchart descriptions.

[0114]FIG. 13 shows an overall flowchart 900 of the print productionprocess. In step 902, the user first provides business information to aperson responsible for setting up the user account. This first stepinvolves considerable human interaction, but the step generally needs tobe done only once in order to properly set up the account. Suchinformation might include: purchase orders, authorizations, employeeinformation, employee lists, product styles, style guides, samples,graphical information and fonts. Products would include items such asbusiness cards, envelopes, stationery and the like. Step 904 involves acustomer setup process, wherein the elements within a business card orproduct are defined and stored. Customer setup 904 is described infurther detail in FIG. 14 and is preferably implemented using productsetup module 409 hosted on web server 408. Step 906 involves thecustomer providing information regarding the product by using thecustomer web site referred to in FIG. 14. Once such information has beenentered, the system can perform the composition step in 908. Compositioncreates the Print Ready File according to steps further detailed in FIG.15. Generally, the user will request a preview file in step 910 in orderto view the results on-screen before printing. The steps involved in thegeneration of the preview file are further described in FIG. 16. Thedecision block 911 sends the user back to step 906 if further changesare desired. If the preview file is acceptable, then the order is placedin step 912. In step 913 trapping is performed, preferably as describedin the above-referenced U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/480,821,filed on the same date herewith.

[0115] Thereafter, the process of imposition (including batching andplating) of the PRF is performed in step 914, preferably as described inthe above-referenced U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/481,550, filedon the same date herewith. Color separation 916 is next performed,preferably as described in the above-referenced U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 09/480,332, filed on the same date herewith. Color separationproduces color separated plate files which are transported to the printvendor in step 918. In a preferred embodiment, both imposition and colorseparation are performed in the same pass by a third party softwaretool. Step 920 shows the processing of the color separated plate file bysubmitting the file to a raster image processor (RIP). The RIP generallyproduces a bitmap file which is converted into the printed product 922.The product is thereafter shipped to the customer in step 924.

[0116]FIG. 14 shows certain more detailed steps associated with thecustomer setup application 904 from FIG. 13. In the setup process,product setup software is used to create each of the basic elements, andassociate a state flag with each one. This software therefore identifiesthe position, size, contents, etc. of each element type. Step 1002 isthe process of determining the printing requirements of a product. Thisis generally done via a human specialist interacting with the customerto gather and generate graphic and textual materials pertaining to thatcustomer. In other systems, tabular layout or other document definitionsare used to gather and create the derived graphic and textual material(as in XML-based processing of data and Document Type Definitions).Other steps might include die creation, and other related procedures.Step 1004 next is the performance of the prepress process. Thistypically consists of generating and verifying the customer assets(e.g., EPS files and fonts). These assets are then added to the assetmanagement file server (AMFS) 418, or other such database.

[0117] An EPS is a file format used in prepress operations, andgenerally contains information required to create a printed documentcontaining graphics images. Along with the imaging bits, EPS filescontain other data respecting reproduction of the image for digitaldisplay, or for print, such as color selections, color settings, scalingof graphics, embedded fonts and so forth. Such files often need to be“Washed” or converted into a consistent format for automated processing.Washing is one of several prepress operations that can be automated byhosting the application on a server, or other networked computer, andmaintaining control of certain operations as part of a distributedprepress software operation.

[0118] In step 1006, the user is further prompted for informationregarding the product, as might be needed for a particular print job.Step 1008 shows the process of defining the composition rules for eachof the particular elements. Step 1010 further shows that for eachelement, the x, y, and z position of the element in the product isdefined. In step 1012, a type and state is assigned to each element. The“type” includes line, text, and graphical, whereas the “state” includesPreview, Print, Both, or none. Step 1014 next shows the assignment ofvarious other properties (as needed) to each of these elements. Oncefinalized, this information is stored via step 1016 in a rules databasesuch as ILIAD 410.

[0119] A customer web site is created in step 1018. The customeraccesses the web site to provide various customer information. The useris prompted for information in step 906. Text elements might require aprompt, in that the user is providing textual information in response toa question. Line and graphical elements, however, might be retrieveddirectly from the appropriate database via a locator, index, or thelike. Once the user enters the requirement information, it is stored inILIAD 410 as per step 1020.

[0120] The next stage of the process involves composition of the PrintReady File. When created, the Print Ready File in the preferredembodiment follows PostScript conventions including, for instance, DCSstandards, platform independent operators, and color separationfunctions. The file might also include a bounding box, which is notrequired for a multi-page PostScript file, but might be used by otherapplications in the process to identify the size of the image to berendered.

[0121] Referring now to FIG. 15, a more detailed flowchart is shown ofthe composition process 908 from FIG. 13. In step 1102, the web server408 requests the PRF from the Farm 414, along with related userinformation. In step 1104, the rules regarding the product setup areread from the ILIAD 410 database. The global flag is next written intothe PRF with a default setting of “Preview” as shown in step 1106. Aloop is then performed for each element of the product 1108. The elementinformation is retrieved, e.g. data source, component data, and state.Based upon this information, and the logic described above, the elementis written into the PRF in step 1112. The loop continues via link 1114until each element of the product is completed and written into the PRF.When finished, the PRF is stored in the Asset Management File Server(418). An alternative embodiment could substitute receipt of one or moredata streams in response to the web server request in step 102, as withXML output from one or multiple machines performing the requiredpre-press operations. The rest of the operations described proceed asdepicted.

[0122] Once the PRF is created, a preview file is generated as will nowbe explained. Referring now to FIG. 16, a flowchart is shown ofrepresentative steps associated with the element “Generate Preview File”910 from FIG. 13. If the user desires to preview the file, the webserver 408 requests a preview file from the Farm 414 as shown in step1202. The Farm then retrieves the PRF from the asset management fileserver 418 in step 1204. The Farm sets the global flag in the PRF topreview mode in step 1206. In step 1208, the Farm converts the PRF to apreview file. This is done via a PostScript interpreter which results incommon image formats using the global flag comparison logic (and the OPIcomments). Common image formats include, for instance, bit map and PDF.In step 1210, the preview file is thereafter sent to the web server 408.In step 1212, the user then accesses and views the preview file via aweb browser or the like. Further details on creating a preview may befound in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/460,307 filed on Dec. 13,1999.

PDF To Postscript Conversion Subsystem

[0123]FIG. 17 is a block diagram illustrating a PDF to PostScriptconversion subsystem 1800 according to one embodiment of the invention.Conversion subsystem 1800 provides an automated hosted environment toperform the pre-press application of converting a suitable PDF file to aresultant PostScript file 1822. Subsystem 1800 includes ILIAD 410 whichincludes conversion parameters for the job and a client application suchas plater service 428 or product setup module 409 that wishes to performautomated conversion.

[0124] Any client application such as plater service 428 or productsetup module 409 may make a conversion request of master farmer service550, which is preferably implemented as described in FIGS. 8-11.Conversion parameters along with an input file and an output destination(conversion information) are relayed from the client application tomaster farmer service 550. Master farmer service 550 interacts with farmservice 552 in order to request that conversion module 1820 perform aconversion of a particular job in order to produce PostScript file 1822which is stored on AMFS 418.

[0125]FIG. 18 is a flow diagram describing a process for initiallysetting up automated conversion and for executing a conversion. Thefollowing steps may occur at any time and in any order before conversionis actually executed. In a performed embodiment, they are implemented asfollows. In step 1850 various default parameters that are desired to bethe same for all conversion jobs are set and hardcoded into conversionmodule 1820. Preferably, these default parameters are compiled into themodule during development. Examples of these hardcoded defaultparameters include emitHalftones, centerCropBox, emitPageRotation,emitTTFontsFirst, and emitDSC.

[0126] In step 1851 default parameters that depend upon the particularclient are set. These are parameters that would have different valuesdepending upon the client that is requesting the conversion. Forexample, the Plater could output Level 1 or Level 2 postscript(depending upon whether the target manufacturing partner supports Level2 or not). By default, Level 1 would be chosen (as it is the lowestcommon denominator), however Level 2 could be output by modifying thepsLevel and binaryOK parameters. In the case of washing, Level 1PostScript would always be produced as washing seeks to convert an inputPostScript file to the lowest common denominator.

[0127] Once the above steps have finished, setup for conversion has beencompleted, and the system is ready to receive job-specific informationfrom a customer in order to perform a conversion. In step 1852 acustomer submits job specific information regarding a product to beprinted. For example, a customer may be submitting information forbusiness cards to be printed. Preferably, this step is implemented asdescribed in step 904 of FIG. 13 and is performed using product setupmodule 409.

[0128] In step 1854 various of the conversion parameters for a specificjob or for a particular line of products may be determined manually. Ofcourse, the previously set default parameters may be relied upon and noadditional parameters need be set in this step. If desired, though,either a representative from the customer or a representative from theentity implementing the on-line automated printing system may specifyadditional conversion parameters or may override various of the defaultparameters. These parameters may be entered using product setup module409 or in another fashion. Examples of conversion parameters that may beset in this step include changing font handling information forembedding fonts once per output PostScript file or once per PostScriptpage in the file. Examples of parameters used by the PDF library (eitherset manually or by default) are found below in Table 1. TABLE 1Parameters and Sample Values Used Parameters: Sample Values used:PsLevel 1 OutputType PDOutput_EPSNoPrev (Adobe PDF library constant)IncBaseFonts KIncludeNever (Adobe PDF library constant) IncEmbeddedFontsKIncludeOncePerDoc (Adobe PDF library constant) incType1FontsKIncludeOncePerDoc (Adobe PDF library constant) IncTrueTypeFontsKIncludeOncePerDoc (Adobe PDF library constant) IncCIDFontsKIncludeOncePerDoc (Adobe PDF library constant) incType3FontsKIncludeOnEveryPage (Adobe PDF library constant) IncProcsetsKIncludeOncePerDoc (Adobe PDF library constant) IncOtherResourcesKIncludeOncePerDoc (Adobe PDF library constant) emitTTFontsFirst. falseEmitShowpage false EmitDSC true SetupProcsets true EmitColorSeps trueEmitRawData false BinaryOK false TTasT42 true Scale 100.0 EmitHalftonestrue CenterCropBox true EmitPageRotation false EmitSeparableImagesonlytrue (RGB color conversion) EmitExtGState true

[0129] In step 1856 these additional conversion parameters are thensaved into ILIAD 410.

[0130] The following steps illustrate execution of an automated, hostedpre-press conversion application. It should be appreciated that any of avariety of client applications may request that automated conversionoccur. A color washing application may request conversion of PDF toPostScript. The plater service 428 may also request conversion of PDF toPostScript for creating level 2 or level 3 PostScript. Other clientapplications that may request conversion include the plater servicewhich would use it to output different levels of PostScript.

[0131] The below example illustrates a scenario in which the clientapplication product setup module 409 is requesting automated conversionas part of color washing. Firstly, a customer interacts with web server408 and orders a particular product. Preferably, this step isimplemented as previously described in step 906 of FIG. 13. For example,a customer may access their custom web site to provide a particular nameand title for a new business card to be printed for a new employee. Thestyle for the business card, standard information and a company logowill have already been supplied during customer set up which is step 904of FIG. 13. At this point in time, product setup module eitherautomatically or at the direction of an internal employee requests colorwashing of the product to be ordered—which will generate a request forconversion from PDF to PostScript.

[0132] In step 1878 the product setup module 409 requests conversion ofa particular job by making a request of Master Farmer service 550.Concurrently, product setup module 409 transfers any manually setparameters, any parameters saved into ILIAD, and source and destinationfile names to Master Farmer service 550. Together this information iscollectively referred to as conversion information.

[0133] In step 1880 the Master Farmer service selects a particular Farmservice 552 to perform the conversion and transfers the conversioninformation. Master Farmer service 550 preferably makes this selectionas previously described in FIGS. 8-11 and takes into account loadbalancing, the optimal module to perform the conversion, etc. In thisstep Farm service 552 also selects a particular conversion module 1820to perform the conversion.

[0134] In step 1882 the conversion module loads the PDF library. In step1883 the module sets parameters in RAM for the PDF library to use. Anexample of C code that may be used to store parameters in RAM is foundin the Appendix. In step 1884 the conversion module uses the PDF libraryto convert PDF to PostScript using the stored parameters. In step 1885the conversion module receives status from the PDF library indicatingthat the conversion is complete. Status of jobs in process is donethrough use of the Windows API. First, the target PostScript file'soutput size is estimated. Second, a separate thread of execution iscreated for creating the target PostScript file. While the file is beingwritten by the separate thread, the main thread polls the targetPostScript file at short intervals, watching it being written. The mainthread has an estimate of the size of the output file and updates statusaccordingly.

[0135] In step 1886 the conversion module outputs the resultantPostScript file to a local drive. In step 1888 the conversion modulecopies the PostScript file 1822 to asset management file server 418. Instep 1890 the conversion module relays completion status back throughthe requesting processes to the client application which in this case isproduct setup module 409. In other words, notice of completion isrelayed to Farm service 552, to Master Farmer service 550, andeventually back to the requesting client application. During executionof the conversion, the conversion module polls the output file todetermine status.

[0136] It should be noted that the requesting client application andeach service involved in the chain is continuously polling a servicefarther down the chain for any status information throughout theconversion process. For example, once product setup module 409 requestsa conversion of Master Farmer service 550 it continually polls theservice for status. In turn, the Master Farmer is continually pollingFarm service 552 for information regarding the status of the conversionbeing performed by conversion module 1820. Finally, conversion module1820 is continually sending back status information to Farm service 552including the length of time estimated to be remaining for trapping,whether the trapping job has been placed in a Farm queue for processing,whether the job is running, whether the job is done, and whether the jobhas an error.

[0137] Once PostScript file 1822 has been stored in asset managementfile server 418 the system has successfully performed automated, hostedconversion of a file and the PostScript file may now be used by anotherpre-press application for further processing.

Alternative Embodiments

[0138] In the preferred implementation, a PostScript file format isaltered and used to store additional information about a product whichallows the system to use that file in all stages of the productionprocess. Alternate implementations may use a different file format toachieve this goal. For example, the system might use the PortableDocument Format (PDF) to store this information. PDF is similar toPostScript in many respects, and could easily be modified to fulfill theobjectives of the present invention. Other file formats that may be usedare Windows Metafile, or PDF/X. Also, while use of level 1 PostScripthas been described above, level 2 and/or level 3 (and/or subsequentversions) of PostScript might similarly be used. Moreover, a Print ReadyFile described herein may be implemented in other similar language suchas PDF.

Computer System Embodiment

[0139]FIGS. 19A and 19B illustrate a computer system 900 suitable forimplementing embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 19A shows onepossible physical form of the computer system. Of course, the computersystem may have many physical forms ranging from an integrated circuit,a printed circuit board and a small handheld device up to a huge supercomputer. Computer system 900 includes a monitor 902, a display 904, ahousing 906, a disk drive 908, a keyboard 910 and a mouse 912. Disk 914is a computer-readable medium used to transfer data to and from computersystem 900.

[0140]FIG. 19B is an example of a block diagram for computer system 900.Attached to system bus 920 are a wide variety of subsystems.Processor(s) 922 (also referred to as central processing units, or CPUs)are coupled to storage devices including memory 924. Memory 924 includesrandom access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM). As is well knownin the art, ROM acts to transfer data and instructions uni-directionallyto the CPU and RAM is used typically to transfer data and instructionsin a bi-directional manner. Both of these types of memories may includeany suitable of the computer-readable media described below. A fixeddisk 926 is also coupled bi-directionally to CPU 922; it providesadditional data storage capacity and may also include any of thecomputer-readable media described below. Fixed disk 926 may be used tostore programs, data and the like and is typically a secondary storagemedium (such as a hard disk) that is slower than primary storage. Itwill be appreciated that the information retained within fixed disk 926,may, in appropriate cases, be incorporated in standard fashion asvirtual memory in memory 924. Removable disk 914 may take the form ofany of the computer-readable media described below.

[0141] CPU 922 is also coupled to a variety of input/output devices suchas display 904, keyboard 910, mouse 912 and speakers 930. In general, aninput/output device may be any of: video displays, track balls, mice,keyboards, microphones, touch-sensitive displays, transducer cardreaders, magnetic or paper tape readers, tablets, styluses, voice orhandwriting recognizers, biometrics readers, or other computers. CPU 922optionally may be coupled to another computer or telecommunicationsnetwork using network interface 940. With such a network interface, itis contemplated that the CPU might receive information from the network,or might output information to the network in the course of performingthe above-described method steps. Furthermore, method embodiments of thepresent invention may execute solely upon CPU 922 or may execute over anetwork such as the Internet in conjunction with a remote CPU thatshares a portion of the processing.

[0142] In addition, embodiments of the present invention further relateto computer storage products with a computer-readable medium that havecomputer code thereon for performing various computer-implementedoperations. The media and computer code may be those specially designedand constructed for the purposes of the present invention, or they maybe of the kind well known and available to those having skill in thecomputer software arts. Examples of computer-readable media include, butare not limited to: magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, andmagnetic tape; optical media such as CD-ROMs and holographic devices;magneto-optical media such as floptical disks; and hardware devices thatare specially configured to store and execute program code, such asapplication-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logicdevices (PLDs) and ROM and RAM devices. Examples of computer codeinclude machine code, such as produced by a compiler, and filescontaining higher level code that are executed by a computer using aninterpreter.

[0143] Although the foregoing invention has been described in somedetail for purposes of clarity of understanding, it will be apparentthat certain changes and modifications may be practiced within the scopeof the appended claims. Therefore, the described embodiments should betaken as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention should notbe limited to the details given herein but should be defined by thefollowing claims and their full scope of equivalents.

Appendix

[0144] psparams.size=sizeof(PDPrintParamsRec);

[0145] psParams.emitPS=true;

[0146] /* PostScript printing */

[0147] psParams.psLevel=PSLevel;  /*PS Level-1 or 2*/

[0148] psParams.outputType=PDOutput₁₃ EPSNoPrev;

[0149] psParams.incBaseFonts=kincludeNever;

[0150] psParams.incEmbeddedFonts=kincludeOncePerDoc;

[0151] psParams.incType1Fonts=kincludeOncePerDoc;

[0152] psParams.incTrueTypeFonts=kincludeOncePerDoc;

[0153] psParams.incCIDFonts=kincludeOncePerDoc;

[0154] psParams.incType3Fonts=kincludeOnEveryPage;

[0155] psParams.incProcsets=kincludeOncePerDoc;

[0156] psParams.incOtherResources=kincludeOncePerDoc;

[0157] psParams.emitTTFontsFirst=false;

[0158] psParams.emitShowpage=false;

[0159] psParams.emitDSC=true;

[0160] psParams.setupProcsets=true;

[0161] psParams.emitColorSeps=true;

[0162] psParams.emitRawData=false;

[0163] if (PSLevel==1)}

[0164] psParams.binaryOK=false;

[0165] {else}

[0166] psParams.binaryOK=true;

[0167] {

[0168] psParams.TTasT42=true;

[0169] psParams.scale=100.0;

[0170] psParams.emitHalftones=true;

[0171] psParams.centerCropBox=true;

[0172] psParams.emitPageRotation=false;

[0173] if (AllowRGB)

[0174] psParams.emitSeparablelmagesOnly=false;

[0175] else

[0176] psParams.emitSeparablelmagesOnly=true;

[0177] psParams.emitExtGState=true;

[0178] Logf(SUBSYS_MAIN, “PDFLPrintPDF”);

[0179] PDFLPrintPDF(PDFDocument, DestinationPathName, &psParams);

We claim:
 1. A method of converting a file from PDF to PostScript withinan automated printing system for producing printed materials, saidmethod comprising: storing said file in a database in communication withsaid automated printing system, said file including instructions forprinting said printed materials; requesting of a master service hostedon a server computer that conversion of said file be performed;requesting of a conversion software module that conversion of said filebe performed; executing a PDF to PostScript software tool under controlof said conversion software module, said software tool performingconversion of said file; and outputting the resulting file from saidsoftware tool, whereby PDF to PostScript conversion of said file isperformed automatically.